News:Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas has informed the Lok Sabha that SATAT initiative has the potential of addressing environmental problems arising from stubble burning.
Facts:
About SATAT initiative:
- SATAT stands for Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation(SATAT).
- The initiative aims to promote Compressed Biogas as an alternative, green transport fuel.It would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.
- The potential for Compressed Biogas production from various sources in India is estimated at about 62 million tonnes per annum.
Features of the initiative:
- Compressed Biogas(CBG) plants are proposed to be set up mainly through independent entrepreneurs.
- CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades of cylinders to the fuel station networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative.
- The entrepreneurs would then be able to separately market the other by-products from these plants including bio-manure, carbon-dioxide to enhance returns on investment.
Significance of the initiative:There are multiple benefits from converting agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste into CBG on a commercial scale which are:
- Responsible waste management, reduction in carbon emissions and pollution
- Additional revenue source for farmers
- Boost to entrepreneurship, rural economy and employment
- Support to national commitments in achieving climate change goals
- Reduction in import of natural gas and crude oil
- Buffer against crude oil/gas price fluctuations
Additional information:
About BioGas:
- Bio-gas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste / biomass sources.
- These include agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste among others.
- After purification,it is compressed and called CBG which has pure methane content of over 95%.
- Compressed Biogas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.Hence,it can be used as alternative, renewable automotive fuel.
